


Unfinished Business

by captainkippen



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Friends to Lovers, I made Bobby and Carrie cousins for timeline merging reasons, Living! Phantoms AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26682796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainkippen/pseuds/captainkippen
Summary: After moving to a new school Julie Molina has her world turned upside down by three idiots in a band and maybe, just maybe, it's exactly what she needs.
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 120
Kudos: 676





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the playlist for this fic **[here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/59o94e9qbYTmkMz2Ub9bkI?si=5oaop3jfSMasg3vxcjbhfA)**. You can find me on tumblr at [captainkippen](https://captainkippen.tumblr.com)!

**Julie**

The new house smelled like wood-polish and dust. There was no trace of that weird musk left behind by Carlos’ failed fourth-grade science project, nor any burning stench from their dad’s latest attempts at cooking, and the fresh scent of detergent didn’t yet linger in the hall from being spilt on its way to the machine. It was unsettling to say the least but, even in spite of this, Julie was almost relieved. It was a fresh start. A clean slate. In this house, blissfully free of all ghosts, she could finally breathe.

Flynn, her best friend since their fateful meeting at _Dance Dance Summer Camp_ four years ago, had been beyond ecstatic when Julie announced the move over FaceTime. It didn’t matter that they’d only lived thirty minutes away from one another before, the prospect of being able to run over to each other’s houses at the drop of a text was an exciting one, and Julie found if she clung hard enough to her best friend’s elation then that melancholy feeling trying to creep in could be kept at bay. It helped, too, that she was switching schools. ‘Fresh start’ really meant a fresh start in the Molina family, and there was the added bonus (her dad’s words, not her own) of the new school having a better music programme than the last. If she were being honest, though, Julie wasn’t so sure that it _was_ a bonus, but she couldn’t bring herself to crush the hopeful look on her dad’s face when he'd pitched the idea.

“When are you going to tell your dad you’re not planning to audition this year?” Flynn had asked one evening when she was meant to be helping Julie pack but was actually lying on the bed taking selfies from the least flattering angles she could manage. 

“Oh, you know,” Julie had replied. “Soon.”

Flynn, bless her soul, had just rolled her eyes and settled for a disapproving look rather than pressing the matter. It wasn’t a luxury she would usually offer – the lack of prying that is – but she seemed to know that the past few weeks had been uneasy enough without adding interrogations into the mix. 

‘Soon’ had turned into going-on-four-months, and by the time they’d rolled up to the new place with a truck full of heavy boxes, Julie had talked herself in and out of telling the truth half a dozen times. What point was there to telling her dad, really? Especially if it would only make him worry. He would only end up trying (and failing) to hide his disappointment, and he'd had enough on his plate lately anyway. Besides, he would only end up suggesting she call her therapist again. He already knew she hadn’t touched her piano since… well, for a while now. If anything, he deserved a break from concern. She’d tell him eventually, and she’d unpack the boxes full of her mom’s old things that were still sitting untouched in her new bedroom too. There was no rush. She just… wasn’t ready yet. 

_Eventually_ , she told herself and squashed down the twisting guilt in her gut.

**Luke**

It wouldn’t have been so bad, Luke thought, if he hadn’t woken up in the flowerbeds. Dazed and confused, he blinked up at the brightening sky and wiped the crusting sleep from his eyes. _Crap_ , he must’ve slipped climbing back in the window. It wasn’t the first time it’d happened, but it’d never knocked him out before. He’d landed at an odd angle and could tell a large bruise was already forming up the back of his shoulder. Under his hands, he could feel a tangle of squashed daisies signing his death certificate. His parents were going to _kill_ him. There was no way he could blame this level of destruction on the dog, it was too obvious. He sat up trying to regain his bearings, and when he looked to the side his heart sank.

Glaring through the glass of his backdoor was Mr. Bosco, their grouchiest neighbour, in his dressing gown and slippers. He did not return the cheerful wave Luke offered him – if anything it made him look more annoyed. The old man was already reaching for the phone. Never good news – Mr Bosco’s calls always ended in either police presence or disapproving letters from the Homeowners Association. Either one and Luke would be on the receiving end of a grounding and a disappointed lecture on the side. Last time his folks had taken his guitar away. He’d almost died from withdrawal and had to steal one of the terrible school-provided instruments for a week to get himself through. It was not an experience he was willing to repeat.

He scrambled to his feet in an effort to look like he was definitely supposed to have been out in the yard, lying in the dirt at six-thirty in the morning. God, this was all… well, it was all his _own_ fault, to be honest. It had been his idea to sneak out last night after he and his bandmates had found out there was an opening to play at one of the smaller clubs downtown and their bassist Reggie, perfect sweet Reggie, had managed to talk the booking manager into adding them into the lineup. He was good like that, grownups liked him for someone, probably because he seemed innocent. Grownups never liked Luke. They always looked at him like he was ten seconds away from breaking something (sometimes he was, but it was never on purpose!).

Luke had known his mom would never have agreed to let him go, not on a school night, but the opportunity was too good to miss. The club was the kind which booking agents and label reps were known for frequenting. They _needed_ to play there. This was the kind of reasoning he’d tried to persuade his parents with before, but they rarely listened. It was frustrating. One day, he thought, the band would play on the radio every week and he’d be able to buy his mom a car to replace the junk heap she had now. One day, she would understand. 

Whistling loudly and not at all suspiciously, he slipped around the side of the house and hoped with just a little bit of desperation that the front door was still unlocked. They lived in a pretty friendly neighbourhood (Mr. Bosco not included) and thankfully didn’t often have to worry about too much security, a fact which made sneaking in and out a little bit easier. Much to his relief, when he tried the handle, it swung right open.

The relief only lasted a second.

“Luke Patterson!” A voice thundered from the bottom of the stairs. “Where have you been?!”

 _Crap_. Mr. Bosco was such a snitch.

**Julie**

“Morning, dad!” Julie yelled as she whizzed down the stairs, grabbing a doughnut and a folder of homework from the counter as she went. She was half an hour behind schedule. Damn her inability to wake up in the mornings. ‘Snooze’ buttons on alarm clocks were seductive little devils. Her dad watched her whirl around the kitchen for a moment in amusement, before finally grabbing her gently by the shoulders and stopping her in place.

 _“_ Whoa, whoa, slow down! Wait, just a second–”

“Your keys are by the fruit bowl,” Julie reminded him, exasperated.

“That’s not what I was going to– oh, you’re right,” he swiped the keys from the side and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “Great. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d lose your own head if it wasn’t screwed on,” she teased, making a move towards the door.

“Wait!” He said again. “Are you gonna be okay today?”

“I’ve been okay the last six days that you've asked.”

It was her first week at school, and her dad was more nervous about it than she was. Even with the anxiety, Julie had found exactly one hour into the first day that she already preferred it to her old school. Flynn was there, making their shared classes and lunch a riot, and nobody there knew her. No more pitying looks from her classmates or ‘concerned’ conversations with her teachers. It was peaceful. Refreshing.

“Well, okay…” her dad said, smiling as he tried not to look worried himself. “You're right, sorry. Have a good day, and remember those guys are gonna be around today so if you need to study it might be a good idea to do it at the library – Mrs Williams says they’re _loud._ ”

“Sure thing,” she said, though she didn’t really have any plans to study. The day hadn’t even started yet and she was exhausted – the first thing she’d be doing when she got home would be flopping in bed and watching Netflix until dinner. Her dad looked excited though, so she gave him an indulgent smile and grabbed a second doughnut as she headed out the door. “Love you!”

“Love you too, have a great day at school!”

 _‘Those guys’_ were a local band renting the garage for practice space. _Sunset Swerve,_ they were called _._ Or something like that. Julie hadn’t really been listening when her dad explained. Apparently, they’d had a deal with the previous owners and he had thought it would be a cool idea to let them continue. They’d agreed to help him out with yard work instead of actually paying, which Julie thought was stupid, but her dad was always too nice for his own good. He’d tried to play her some of their music – they’d sent him their demo (an _actual_ CD, for crying out loud, who still used those?!) with a little hand-scribbled note that read _‘Tell your friends!’_ and he’d been instantly charmed – but she had been more focused on figuring out what cereal she wanted that morning. Suffice to say, all memory of the band having practice at their house that evening quickly slipped her mind as she ran out the door.

While Flynn’s presence and the new anonymity were definitely the best part of her new school, there was an added bonus. He came in the form of a blonde-haired, lacrosse-playing, guitar maestro and Julie was reasonably sure that she could, might, sort of, possibly be totally in love with him. 

“If you keep staring at Nick he’s going to have to get a restraining order,” Flynn said. 

“I wasn’t staring,” Julie said, then felt herself go bright red as Nick turned around and caught her eye. He waved, smiling widely, and she hurried on with pulling the rest of her books out of her locker. Flynn snorted.

“He’s just so nice.”

“How would you know? You’ve never even talked to him.”

That wasn’t strictly true. On her first day, Julie had walked right into Nick coming out of the music rooms and spent a good two minutes apologising while he helped her up. He’d been so sweet about it, insisting it was his fault and telling her not to worry even though it had obviously happened because she had been too busy answering Flynn’s texts about how bored she was in math. He was perfect.

“I don’t know why you like him so much,” Flynn sighed. “You’re totally out of his league. And besides, he’s with the she-demon. That’s never going to change. Ten years from now they’ll be married and have their own version of the Von Trapp family. Only with virgin sacrifices. And more ego.”

Laughter bubbled up in Julie’s chest and she pressed her lips together in an attempt to push it back. It was true that Nick was unattainable – he was dating the one other student Julie knew before joining the school aside from Flynn. 

“Speak of the devil,” she said, nodding to the end of the hall.

Carrie Wilson moved like royalty, shoulders back with her nose raised haughtily in the air, surrounded by a gaggle of girls who worshipped her every move. If Julie didn’t know better she’d be intimidated, but instead the sight just made her exchange amused looks with Flynn. Carrie loved the spotlight, would do anything to make sure it was on her, but she had a mean streak a mile long and they’d been on the receiving end of her cruelty one too many times to be in any sort of awe.

As she reached their end of the corridor, she marched up to Nick and flung her arms around his neck. Not wanting to bear witness to the sickening display of affection, Julie returned her focus to her schedule and tried to remember what room her final class was in. 

“Where’s- oof!”

With the breath knocked out of her, Julie found herself stumbling back, and suddenly two strong hands were grasping her shoulders. 

“Sorry! Sorry,” a voice was saying, and she found herself staring into a pair of wide hazel eyes. “You good?”

“Um…”

The wide hazel eyes came framed by shaggy brown hair and were brightened by a sweet smile. There were too many cute guys at this school, Julie thought. It was going to give her a heart attack sooner or later.

“She’s fine,” Flynn jumped in quickly, laughing as she grabbed Julie’s hand and towed her away. “All good. Totally fine. Ha. Haha. Thanks!”

“Who was that?” Julie said weakly, still trying to recover.

“Luke Patterson,” Flynn smirked. “He’s a senior. Why, did you think he was cute? He is, right? Everyone likes him. Oh man, you should’ve seen your face. You looked like you were having a religious experience. Thank god that _I_ was there to save you, huh?”

She winked, nudging Julie jokingly until Julie shoved her back.

“Shut up,” she laughed. “I’ll buy you a milkshake after school if you pretend it never happened.”

“What never happened?” Said Flynn, widening her eyes in false ignorance. “But make it chocolate.”

**Luke**

“Oh man,” Luke groaned as he climbed into Alex’s car that morning. “I am _so_ dead, guys. So, so dead. I’m pretty sure I’m a ghost right now.” 

“Whoa, really?! Cool!” Reggie piped up, leaning forward to poke him and looking disappointed when his finger met a solid body. “You feel pretty solid to me, dude.”

“I tried to warn you,” Alex huffed, batting Reggie’s arm away from Luke. “But you didn’t listen. You should’ve just crashed at my place. You could’ve told them you left early for school. Did you know you have dirt on your neck?”

“Yeah, as if you folks would let me stay over,” Luke muttered, wiping diligently at his neck and missing the dirt completely. “They definitely think we’re still dating. It would’ve been fine if I hadn’t slipped. I need like… a ladder or something.”

“You need more brain cells,” Alex sighed, starting the car and zooming off down the street. 

It wasn’t as if Alex didn’t have a point. Sneaking out to play with the band had become kind of the norm for Luke, and you’d think he’d be a bit smoother about it by now, but he wasn’t going to admit that out loud. His mom’s disappointed words were still ringing in his ears. If she’d just _listen_ to what he had to say, then maybe he wouldn’t have to sneak out. If she would just… 

“Does this mean you can’t come to practice tonight?” Reggie asked.

Luke shrugged.

“I told her I have detention.”

Alex stared at him. “Are you _trying_ to make your life harder?”

“What? You think she was gonna believe me if I said I had studying to do or something, man? No way. She was already mad anyway, it’s not like it could get worse. She took my phone though, probably not getting that back any time soon.”

At least, he comforted himself, he still had his guitar.

School was a cruel punishment for people who didn’t belong there, in Luke’s opinion. There were few things more boring than World History class, especially when he could be at the studio right now figuring out that chorus he’d been stuck on for the past week. Their newest songs were missing something and he didn’t know what. It was bothering him.

“... now while this was going on, the Spanish Armada was busy…” their teacher droned on at the front.

Maybe they needed to add some new sounds into the mix. Reggie was always talking about how he wished he could play his banjo more. Maybe now was the time for that country album.

“... fascinating, actually. The Spanish were so afraid of the use of ‘Hellburners’, a kind of ship…”

He could try screaming again. The band had gone through a phase when they were fourteen where they wrote nothing but metal and screamo songs for a week, but it had killed his voice. Not to mention the complaints they’d gotten from neighbours about it.

“Hey, dude.”

He could get a harmonica.

“Dude!” Alex hissed, jabbing him hard in the side with his elbow before throwing him an apologetic look. “You’re drooling.”

Luke straightened, refocusing his eyes and wiping at his mouth. Whoops. That was embarrassing. 

“Look, this’ll wake you up.”

Alex slid his own phone surreptitiously toward Luke. It was open to an Instagram page. For a moment, Luke just stared at it, and then the rage began to pour in.

By the time the bell rang, he had calmed down enough to feel less like punching something but not enough to get his books out of his locker without slamming the door and startling everyone. All the way down the hall Reggie and Alex listened to him seethe, throwing in their own little rants every now and then. 

**_“Stream Bobby Wilson’s new single_ ** **‘Crooked Teeth’** ** _, out now on Spotify and Apple Music!”_ **

The _Skeleton Records_ Instagram page taunted them as they flicked through comments on the post. It was an outpouring of enthusiasm and love, all directed at their ex-bandmate. The betrayal of the past few months still made Luke’s hands shake. 

“I can’t believe that–” Alex swore loudly. “Just when we thought he couldn’t get _worse._ ”

“We gotta do something,” Luke said. “We gotta teach him a lesson. We could–”

But how he intended to enact revenge on Bobby Wilson, they would never know. Before he could get the words out, two girls came careening around the corner and one flew straight into Luke. His hands shot out at once to steady her.

“Sorry! Sorry,” he said. “My bad…” 

His voice trailed away as she met his gaze. She was pretty. Like, _really_ pretty.

“Uh,” he said, shaking himself. “You good?” 

“Um…”

There was an awkward second where they just stared at one another. Luke was certain he looked like an idiot, but he couldn’t look away. And then the girl’s friend jumped in and the moment was broken.

“She’s fine,” she assured him, grabbing her friend’s hand. “All good. Totally fine. Ha. Haha. Thanks!”

He and the boys watched them head down the hall together at a jog, giggling quietly. 

“Close your mouth,” Alex sighed, elbowing him. 

Luke snapped his mouth shut and pulled his eyes away from the girl’s retreating back, grinning at Alex. He jostled him in return, delighting in the faux-annoyed face his friend pulled before a distraction presented itself in the form of a crumpled up piece of paper lying on the floor at his feet. 

“What’s that?” Reggie asked as he reached down to pick it up.

Luke’s eyebrows shot up as he smoothed the note out.

**_“...look out, look inside of you / it’s not what you lost / it’s what you’ll gain raising your voice in the rain…”_ **

“Lyrics,” he said, but Reggie was already distracted by the group of cheerleaders walking by. “Really good lyrics… hey!”

He called out, and half the hallway turned to look at him, but the girl was gone. He frowned to himself, pocketing the paper and letting Alex pull him away for their final class as he muttered something about _really_ ending up with detention if they were late for calculus. He would have to find that girl again later. She might want it back.

If he spent most of calculus folding and refolding the note in his pocket, avoiding Alex’s knowing looks and quietly humming a half composed melody to the words on the paper, then that was nobody’s business but his own.

  
  
  
  



	2. Two

**Julie**

The best thing about a school day was the end of it. Julie sighed in relief as she slipped into the softest set of pyjamas she owned. Mondays always seemed to drag on for so long, leaving her bone-tired and spent by the time she trudged through her bedroom door. When she’d come in, there had been a lot of banging and clattering going on outside. Her dad had been busy doing something in the yard and she was too grateful for the chance to avoid his anxious comments about how tired she looked to give it a second thought. 

Getting through a Monday was deserving of a reward, she thought. Rummaging through her desk drawer she pulled out one of the fruity face masks Flynn had bought her for her birthday. Perfect. There was nothing more relaxing than smearing mango-flavoured goo all over your skin, after all. Gathering her remaining energy, she headed downstairs on a single-minded hunt for snacks in the kitchen. Ice cream. She _needed_ ice cream. Her eyes zeroed in on the kitchen cabinets and she marched determinedly through, only half taking in the other person in the room.

“Hey Carlos,” she greeted absentmindedly as she reached for a glass.

“Hey!” 

She stopped dead in her tracks. That wasn’t Carlos’ voice. Horror dawning, she turned in a slow circle to find a tall stranger straightening up from where he’d been rummaging through the refrigerator. He gave her a bright smile reminiscent of that of an excitable puppy.

“You’re that girl from earlier! Are you Ray’s daughter? Wait… of course you are. Duh. That’s so cool. Your dad is _awesome._ I’m Reggie by the way.”

Julie was so busy trying to register what was happening that she didn’t even have time to respond before two more boys came sliding into the kitchen to join them. The urge to flee intensified when she saw them. 

“Reggie, what's taking you so— oh, hey!"

So it had not been a trick of the light at school. Luke Patterson really _was_ that cute. Standing there in the doorway, beanie on and a plaid shirt slung around his waist, obviously having recognised her as that weird girl who ran into him at school. He looked surprised to see her. _Well,_ she thought to herself, _that made two of them._

“Look, I found Ray's daughter," Reggie announced. He beamed at Julie. “Your dad talks about you a _lot_. He’s so cool. He hooked us up with a ton of new equipment. And he likes our CD, but Alex says it doesn’t count because he’s a dad… I wish he was _my_ dad...” 

He trailed off dreamily, taking a large bite of the left-over pizza in his hand as he stared into the distance. Alex rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

“You’re being weird again,” he said to Reggie, then nodded awkwardly at Julie. “Sorry about that. Anyway, it’s nice to–”

“It’s _you!_ ” Luke interrupted, snapping out his shock and moving towards her intently. 

Julie took an automatic step back, alarmed by the intensity of his expression. Alex grabbed him by the shoulder and tugged him back, looking as though he was dearly wishing he had different friends. 

“Dude,” he hissed at Luke, then shot yet another apologetic at Julie. “I _really_ am sorry about them, sometimes when they’re excited they forget about _manners._ Reggie’s right though, your dad does talk about you a lot. It’s cool to meet you. We’re, uh, renting your garage? For our band? I don’t know if your dad told you. I’m Alex, these idiots are Reggie and Luke. It’s Jules, right?” 

“Julie,” she said. “So wait… _you_ _guys_ are the band? Sunset Swerve?”

When her dad had told her about the band she’d envisioned a group of middle-aged guys in trilbies playing classic rock covers and trying desperately to relive their youth, not three of the cutest seniors that went to _her school_. And here she was finding out the truth while wearing fuzzy pyjamas covered in ducklings with yellow mush dripping from her face. Of course, this would happen to her. If only the ground would open up and swallow her, it would be a sweet mercy.

“Sunset _Curve_ ,” the guys corrected.

“Tell your friends,” added Reggie.

“Right… that’s great,” she said. “Just great. Okay. Well. It was nice to meet you all, I’m just going to…”

 _...go die now,_ she thought as she jabbed her finger towards the door and made a hasty exit. Unfortunately, she was so busy being too flustered to think straight that she walked right into the doorjamb. The boys winced. 

“You okay?” Alex asked.

“Fine! I’m fine,” she squeaked, rubbing her forehead. 

Flynn was going to laugh herself sick when she told her. 

Julie made it halfway to the stairs before she heard footsteps running up behind her. 

"Wait!” Luke called. “Wait, I wanted to ask you something.”

She stopped in the hall, baffled.

"Me?"

“I don’t know if you remember, but we knocked into each other at school earlier…”

From his pocket, he pulled out a carefully folded piece of paper that looked as though it had been torn from a notebook. The colour drained from Julie's face. She recognised that handwriting. 

“Where did you get that?!” She asked, snatching it from him.

“You dropped it when you bumped into me.”

“And you kept it?! Why didn’t you leave it, or… or throw it away? That could’ve been personal!”

Luke frowned.

"I figured you might want it back. Those are some really great lyrics. You should keep them… do you write a lot?"

In the face of his painful earnestness, Julie almost felt bad for snapping at him. _Almost_. 

"They're not… I didn't write them," she mumbled. "I was just doodling. My mom wrote those.”

“Oh,” he said, looking down at the note. “Well, she’s very talented.”

“She _was_.”

He looked up, startled, and understanding dawned on his face.

“Oh,” he said again. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have–”

Julie shook her head.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.”

“So… do _you_ play at all?” he asked, looking hopeful. 

“No. Music was my mom’s thing.”

“Oh.”

There was a moment of silence and Luke opened his mouth as if to offer another apology, but he was interrupted by Julie’s dad suddenly clattering through the door holding an armful of wires.

“Found them! Oh, hey, _Mija_ ,” he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Sorry I missed you coming in. I was just helping the guys move some of your mom’s old amps… I see you’ve already met.”

With a warm smile, he nodded at Luke. 

“Yeah! Julie goes to our school, actually,” Luke said. 

“That’s great! Are you enrolled in the music programme too? Maybe you guys could play together sometime.”

Luke’s face lit up as he looked at her. A horrible sense of panic mixed with nervous butterflies flared up in her gut. On the list of things she didn’t want to think about it, music was at the top. Possible collaborations with the guys she had just embarrassed herself in front of was a close second.

“I’ve got homework to do,” she said and took her opportunity to flee.

Over the next few days, Julie carefully avoided running into the guys from _Sunset Curve_ again. She checked and double-checked the school halls until Flynn pointed out that she looked like a crazy person, she hoarded snacks in her room so she didn’t have to venture into the kitchen on the days she knew the guys had practice, and she steadfastly refused to go to a local show they were playing with her dad on the fictional grounds of having an important assignment to work on. This would all be going swimmingly if it weren’t for the nagging sense of unease which now followed her everywhere.

**_“It’s not what you lost, it’s what you’ll gain raising your voice in the rain…”_ **

Her mom’s lyrics played constantly in the back of her mind. When she walked into her bedroom the atmosphere felt charged as if it were waiting for her to do something. She ignored this successfully for about three days and then, finally, following a night of Carlos and her dad reminiscing about her mom’s cooking, she gave in.

The three boxes were stacked in a neat pile at the bottom of her closet. Julie had spent the past few weeks refusing to look down at them every time she opened the doors to grab a clean sweater.

She steeled herself, taking a deep breath, and one by one she pulled them out. Her mom had left a lot of memories behind in the form of forgotten trinkets; old CDs, outrageous clothes from her youth, tickets from concerts carefully preserved. Though each item sent a sharp stabbing ache through her chest like a dull knife, she continued digging until she found what she was looking for. In the second box, buried beneath a small pile of glittering folded dresses, was a notebook.

Property of Rose Molina, it read on the inside cover. It had been scrawled there by Julie when she was eight. She could remember being so worried that her mom might lose the notebook in the same way that she so often misplaced her exercise books at school. Rose Molina's songwriting diary; it was too important to be lost. It carried all her mom's hopes and dreams. She'd wanted to make sure it could always find its way home.

The book fell open easily, in the kind of way books which had known nothing but constant use often did, and in the very centre was a flattened wad of sheet music. The pages were still white, with no creases or ripped edges unlike the rest of the notebook's contents. It had been the last piece Rose had added. Julie hadn't known about it until after the funeral

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she picked up the papers and spread them out in front of her. The last page was one she almost couldn't bear to bring herself to look at. In the bottom corner, Rose' loopy handwriting bid her daughter one final goodbye.

**_"Julie, you can do it 🖤_ **

**_Love, mom."_ **

The song was called _Wake Up_. Julie had never played it. The idea of playing anything without her mom was unfathomable. It had been Rose who taught Julie the difference between a flat and a sharp, where her fingers should go on a piano, and how music could change people's lives. When they had played together it had felt like Julie could do anything. She was invincible as long as she had that ever-playing song inside of her. But when her mom died, she took the music to her grave and half of Julie's heart with it. It had been so long.

What made her do it, she didn't know. Maybe it was the deep sincerity in Luke's voice still ringing in her ears when he told her how talented her mom was, or the memory of her dad's heartbroken expression on the day she'd quit piano lessons, or perhaps it was the thought of her mom watching over her somewhere knowing that her final song had gone unsung all this time. All Julie knew was she couldn't just stay sitting there staring at it. She had to move.

The garage was blissfully empty when she poked her head around the door and slipped inside. It smelled like teenage boys and engine oil inside. A makeshift stage had been set up to one side, covered in wires and instruments. Several amps she recognised from their old house had been lined up carefully against the wall, not yet put to use. Across from them, the boys had fashioned a little sitting area from mismatched garden furniture and a worn couch. Old take-out cartons dotted a coffee table next to haphazard stacks of CDs and sheet music. She wrinkled her nose as she made her way over to the grand piano. It was a gorgeous thing, smooth and glossy under the fingertips she ran across the lid. Jarring as it was, perching herself on the stool and sliding the piano open felt like something long missing had just clicked back into place. A piece of her soul returned.

“I’m sorry, mom,” she whispered.

It had been over a year, but her fingers moved across the keys as though no time had passed at all.

_"Here's one thing I want you to know, you got someplace to go. Life's a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe. You don't give up, no, you grow..."_

It swelled up inside of her, a burning wildfire. Her voice, bright and free, filled the air, growing stronger the more she sang. Wherever she was, her mom could hear her — Julie was certain of it. This was what she'd wanted all along. She'd written this song not to say goodbye, but to tell her to keep going. Overwhelmed by the suddenness of the realisation, Julie's voice broke. Emotion bubbled up inside of her. Throwing her head back, she belted out the words with all the air in her lungs.

_"Wake up, wake up if it's all you do. Look out, look inside of you. It's not what you lost, it's what you'll gain raising your voice in the rain—"_

The door swung open. Three boys tumbled forward and landed in a heap on the ground. Julie jumped back so hard she almost sent herself crashing from the stool.

“What are you doing here?!” she yelled, her face flaming red. 

“Oh... uh, hey Julie,” Luke greeted from the bottom of the pileup, resting his chin casually on his folded arms as if there was nothing unusual about it. “We were just, you know…”

“Hanging out,” Alex said.

“Exactly.”

“Yeah, we _totally_ weren’t spying on you,” Reggie added.

Alex and Luke groaned. Julie’s eyes narrowed and she gathered up the music sheets, preparing to make a hasty exit. The three boys scrambled to their feet as she did. 

“Okay,” she said. “If you guys are going to practice here, we need to set up some boundaries. First of all, knock before you come into a room. Second of all, _don’t spy on people in their own house._ ”

“Technically this is the garage though,” Reggie pointed out. “Not the house– ow!”

Alex had elbowed him, hard. He gave Julie an apologetic look. 

“So how come you said you didn’t play?” Luke asked, sidling up to the piano and leaning against it. “Earlier. You said you didn’t play. That was a lie, right? Because from what we just heard… you can _definitely_ play.”

“You’re really talented,” Alex agreed. 

“Yeah, you rocked that,” said Reggie.

Julie looked away, embarrassed.

“I don’t play, not really. Not anymore. That’s the first time I’ve played in months.”

“But _why?_ ” Luke demanded. 

“Why is it any of your business?”

“Because…” he clenched his fists in frustration, searching for the right words. “You can’t just waste talent like that. I mean, what you just did? That was amazing. The way you played, the way you sang… it was _amazing_. If that’s what you can do after months of not playing music I can’t imagine what you must be able to do when you’re in the zone. If I could play like you just did– _God._ Don’t you see how much power you have? Don’t you _feel_ it?”

“Of course I do,” she snapped. “ _Of course_ I do, but it’s not that easy for me, alright? After my mom–”

Much to the horror of both of them, tears began to prickle at Julie’s eyes. 

“Oh God, Julie… don’t cry, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”

“I have to go,” she sniffed, hurrying out of the garage as fast as she could. She left the boys lingering despondently in the doorway and Alex thumped Luke, muttering something about his lack of tact.

**Luke**

Guilt was an awful thing. It gnawed at Luke as he trekked up the driveway to his house. Alex often told him he had impulse problems, that he didn’t think before he acted, always steaming on ahead without considering the possible consequences. Sometimes, on days like today, Luke had to admit that he might be right. He _hated_ it when girls cried – he never knew what to do in those situations. The mental image of Julie’s face when she mentioned her mom haunted him. 

The thing was, Julie had taken him by surprise. When he’d heard her voice, the passion with which she sang, his brain went into overdrive. Peering through that window and seeing her perform for an empty room… it was like magic. Something about her drew him in. He knew what that look on her face as she belted out her mom’s words meant, her expression reflected the same emotions he felt when he played a new song, it was pure unadulterated love. He could’ve watched her play forever. 

If the latch on the garage door hadn’t given out underneath them, it would’ve been fine, but c’est la vie or whatever. It was done. He’d screwed up, and now he would probably never hear Julie play again. The thought filled him with ice-cold disappointment. 

“Mr. Patterson! We meet again.”

The disappointment was replaced by irritation, and for a moment all his guilty thoughts slid away. Luke looked up, hoping the dread didn’t show on his face, to face the man waiting by the porch.

“Mr Covington,” he sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“Just checking up on my favourite little rockstar,” Caleb said airily. “Thought I’d drop in and see if you’d thought any more about that proposition of mine. Time’s ticking, you know.”

“Look, Mr. Covington, it’s a really nice offer and all, but the guys and I just don’t think–”

“You need some more time to think about it then,” Caleb cut him off with a disapproving sigh. “Very well, but remember Luke… I can offer you connections to the music business that no one else can.”

Caleb Covington was the owner of the infamous _Hollywood Ghost Club,_ a jazz bar downtown. It catered to the rich and swanky, promising them raucous nights of dancing, booze and live performances. _Sunset Curve_ had worked as the house band at the club the summer before; Luke had never hated a job more. They’d had to wear _suits_ of all things, and they were not allowed to take creative liberties. The hours were long, the pay was bad, and Caleb had a strict code of conduct aiming to impress guests with an untarnished reputation. Oh yes, he loved to impress guests. He would go to any means to do so, which included encouraging staff members to flirt with the terrifying older proprietors that frequented the joint. Or else.

Luke had never been so glad to see the end of a summer job. Unfortunately, Caleb hadn’t been so keen on them leaving. He’d been making them permanent job offers ever since.

He watched Caleb head back down the street and shook his head in relief. What a creep – he’d have to warn Alex and Reggie to expect an ambush next. Slipping his key in the door, he headed inside and was greeted with the surprising sound of silence. A note on the hallway table told him his parents had gone out for the night. Great, at least he could get his guitar out without being told to turn it down eight times.

He reheated a plate of lasagna leftover from the night and sat down to write. That gnawing guilt was back, ever-insistent as he stared at the pages of his songwriting notebook and tried to focus.

_“Better wake those demons, just look them in the eye, no reason not to try. Life can be a mess, I won’t let it cloud my mind…”_

Julie’s voice was like none he’d ever heard before. She played like it was the only thing that kept her breathing. He _knew_ how that felt, and the connection of it shook him to his core. Months. She said she hadn’t played for _months_. The idea of being without music was unimaginable to him. It was the very thing he woke up for in the mornings, the spark that assured him he really did have a place in this world, it was his _destiny._ With a voice like hers, he was pretty sure music was Julie's destiny too. He couldn’t imagine what kind of pain she must have been feeling to make her stop. _Unimaginable._

It came to him at once, a melody sparking up from his regrets.

 _“Sometimes I think I’m falling down,”_ he sang quietly to himself, leaning forward to scrawl the words across the page. _“I wanna cry, I’m calling out for one more try... to feel_ alive _…”_

What Julie needed was a push. He wanted to make it up to her for making her cry. He wanted to show her he _got it_. Music was important to her – that much was clear. She just needed to be reminded of what she could do. She needed a little help, a friend or two to show her that she wasn’t alone.

What Julie needed, he thought, was a _band._

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Three

**Luke**

> **The Orpheum Theatre ☑️ @OrpheumOfficial • 20m**
> 
> _ANNOUNCEMENT ALERT! Are you ready to join the Orpheum's Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame? It's that time of year again... sign up for our annual Battle of the Bands here now!_

"Alex… psst, Alex! Have you seen this?"

Luke shoved the phone under Alex's nose. He jerked up from where he'd been falling asleep, his elbow slipping off the edge and almost sending him nose-first into the desktop. Homeroom and nap-time were the same things; Luke would've been snoozing too if it hadn't been for the tweet popping up on his screen.

"Wha— oh, yeah," Alex yawned, beginning to droop again. "I heard some people talking about it outside…"

"We have to sign up," Luke said.

Suddenly alert, Alex sat up straight and levelled Luke a look suggesting he might have lost his mind.

"Are you serious?" He hissed. "We can't sign up. It's the _Orpheum._ ”

Built in the early ‘20s, the Orpheum Theatre sat on Ninth And Broadway in downtown LA. It had once been home to the city’s thriving vaudeville community, but these days it was _the_ venue to play if you wanted to make it as a band. The theatre’s annual _Battle of the Bands_ contest offered not only the opportunity to perform live on its stage in front of a massive audience but also a grand prize of five thousand dollars and a record deal with a local music label. Winning it was a dream. They had been too young to sign up for themselves last year, and their parents’ had refused consent. But this year… this year they could do it. Luke was certain of it. He practically vibrated at the very thought.

Alex’s diatribe continued.

“Do you know who _will_ sign up? Bobby. Bobby will sign up with his shiny new guitar and his expensive little backing band, and he'll make us look like idiots all over again. It'll be totally rigged."

"You're missing the point!" 

A loud shushing sound came from the front of the room. They looked up to see their teacher glaring at them. Mumbling apologies, they lapsed into silence. Once Luke was sure they were no longer being watched, he leaned forward and murmured in a low voice.

"Don't you see?" He reasoned. "That's exactly why we've gotta do it. This is our chance to prove we're here to stay — to teach Bobby and his goons a lesson! They can steal our songs, and they can tear our band to shreds, but they will _never_ stop us from making great music. It's our chance to show everyone that this is what we were born to do!" 

He slammed his first down on the table to emphasise his point. 

" _Hush!"_

They continued their discussion in the hall after the bell rang and they'd reunited with Reggie at his locker. Much to Luke's frustration, he seemed just as uncertain as Alex.

"We don't even have any songs to play," he pointed out. "All we have is covers. Our originals are all half-finished, or... y'know... plus we're down a guitarist."

"One guitarist is enough," Luke huffed. "We can deal. That's not a non-issue. As for the songs, well I've been thinking about it. We just need something fresh, right? Something to make us stand out. Guys... what if we ask Julie to join the band?"

They stared at him.

"Julie," Alex repeated, incredulous. "As in Ray's daughter Julie? The Julie you made _cry_ the other day? That Julie?"

He winced.

"Just think about it! You heard her sing. She's incredible. New vocals... a keyboardist... she's just what we need. And I'll bet you anything she writes too. You saw her in there. There's no way she doesn't."

Alex worried at his bottom lip.

"She _is_ amazing," he agreed.

"Damn right."

"But I thought she said she doesn't play anymore?"

Luke waved this off.

"A temporary setback. Leave it to me."

Reggie and Alex gave each other a look. It was the same look they shared whenever they thought Luke was about to do something extra stupid. He resented that look. 

"Are you sure it's such a good idea?" Reggie asked. "I mean, dude... what if she cries again?"

Hm. That was a problem. Luke didn't think he could handle watching her cry again, it had been bad enough the first time, and he still felt guilty about it.

“Yeah man, you don’t exactly have the best track record here."

"We've just gotta sweeten her up," he said, confidently. "Get on her good side, you know? She'll warm up to us. I have a plan."

"If you say so…"

Luke did not appreciate the doubt in his voice one bit. 

**Julie**

“I can’t believe you have _Sunset Curve_ practising at your house,” Flynn was saying as Julie dug around in her bag for a new pen. “That is just too weird. They’re like… crazy good, you know?"

Somewhat grudgingly, Julie did have to admit she was right. She had stolen the band's CD from her dad's desk the night before to check it out and ended up playing it three times before going to bed. There was something about their music that just gripped you.

"They used to play at tons of parties and all the little clubs downtown," Flynn went on. "They got really big for a while last year, I mean like around here at least. I heard some bigshot company wanted to sign them… I don’t know what happened about that though. They haven't played a show for ages."

"How come?"

She shrugged.

"No idea. Maybe they're taking a break or something?"

Hm. Julie wouldn't count on it, not if the racket they had been making in the garage before school had been any indication. She had barely been able to hear her dad saying goodbye over the noise. Resuming her search, she and Flynn set off down the hall to class.

“You’re so lucky,” Flynn said with a wistful sigh. “I wish _I_ had a bunch of cute guys over at my house every day. Did you talk to Reggie? Whew, that boy has a nice face. You know what I’m saying?”

“I wish I didn’t,” Julie grumbled, then managed to tug a pen free from beneath her glasses case. “Aha!”

Caught up in her moment of euphoria, she did not notice someone else walking towards the door of their English class at the same time as her and was only just saved from causing an accident by Flynn pulling her out of the way by the strap of her overalls.

“Oh, hey Julie,” Nick smiled, seemingly oblivious to his narrow escape from death. “I like your outfit.”

Julie felt her face colour. 

“Thanks,” she said weakly. “I like your… face.”

Mortification threatened to swallow her up. Had she really just said that? Oh, God. She sounded like such a loser. 

Nick laughed, light and teasing. 

“Thanks,” he said. “It’s my new skincare routine. Gives me that healthy glow.”

They watched as he walked away, a slight spring in his step, to sit where Carrie was waiting for him. If looks could kill, her glare would have Julie falling down dead on the spot. 

“Well that was embarrassing,” Flynn commented. “You’re a disaster. We should get you a warning sign. Maybe one that flashes.”

“Please kill me,” Julie groaned. 

“C’mon drama queen, let’s go sit down. I’ll help you jump out a window later.”

The class passed in a slow crawl. Their teacher – Mr. Willard – had the kind of monotonous voice just right for sending his students to sleep. Julie had to jab Flynn awake with her pen several times to prevent her from getting drool on the desk. By the time the bell rang, she felt like it was entirely possible she might die from boredom. They packed their bags with barely suppressed joy.

“Before you leave,” Willard said. “Mrs. Harrison has asked me to remind you that auditions for the music programme take place on Monday after school. If you’re planning to take part but haven’t signed up yet, then the sign-up sheet is on the notice board outside the auditorium.”

The advanced music programme was for students who were serious about getting into a good college and beginning a career in the subject. It was one of the best in the state. A year ago Julie would’ve been excited to enrol for it. A year ago, her mom would’ve still been there to encourage her. Now the idea of sitting down and auditioning just made her feel sick. This, it appeared, was of no consequence to Flynn.

“Have you thought any more about signing up?” she asked as they headed out the door.

“You know I haven’t,” Julie replied with a sigh.

A derisive snort came from behind them and they turned to see Carrie with a cluster of her favourite clones watching them.

“You know the music programme is for people with actual talent, right?” she asked. “Not tone-deaf losers.”

Flynn took a threatening step towards her, but Julie grabbed her arm and tugged her back. Carrie smirked. 

“She’s not worth it,” Julie murmured.

Carrie’s friends tittered with laughter around her, but Nick shot Julie an apologetic look as he mumbled an admonishment at his girlfriend and pulled her away.

“Spoiled bitch,” Flynn muttered. “She’s just jealous.”

Biting back a giggle, Julie looped her arm through Flynn’s and steered her down the hall. Even with Flynn’s reassurance, it was hard not to be bothered by Carrie’s words. They hadn’t always been at odds. In fact, they had grown up together. Their moms had been best friends and, before high school, Carrie and Julie had spent practically every day over at each other’s houses working on dance routines and yelling into a karaoke machine. It hadn’t been until Carrie decided to get serious with music that problems had started to arise. Without much warning, her desire for the spotlight began to fuel a strong resentment towards Julie for her voice. Everything became a competition. They’d stopped talking in eighth grade.

“Seriously though,” Flynn said. “I think you should reconsider the whole music thing. You’re _amazing_ and you know it. You should be on stage showing that off, not fading into the background! And we could be in class together too. No more boring free periods without me.”

“I want to,” Julie said. “I really do, but I just can’t, Flynn. I’m not ready for it.”

Flynn just sighed.

**Luke**

Luke’s plan was simple:

  1. Wait for Julie to get home.
  2. Blow her away with their music.
  3. Get her to join the band, become ultra-famous with her wrecking-ball of a voice and go on to be rock and roll _legends._



Simple. There was just one hitch.

“Julie!”

The guys sprung out from where they’d been waiting by the gate to the yard. 

“Oh my God!” she screamed, dropping her bag to clutch at her chest. “Are you trying to kill me? Don’t do that! Jeez…”

“Sorry,” they muttered sheepishly, leaning down to help her collect her things from where they now laid scattered across the grass.

“Don’t you guys ever go home?”

“No,” Reggie said cheerfully.

“Why are you out here anyway?” she grumbled. “Shouldn’t you be practising or whatever?”

“We’re going to,” Alex said, straightening up and handing over her pencil case. “But we kinda have something to ask you first.”

She eyed them with suspicion. 

“What?”

The boys glanced at Luke. He nodded reassuringly at them, then looked at Julie.

“Come sit down,” Luke suggested. “We wanna play you something.”

“I have homework to do–”

“It’ll just take a second, I swear.”

“Ugh, fine. This had better be good.”

They led her through to the studio, herding her towards the couch where she plonked down with a distinctly unimpressed look on her face. Jeez, why was she so grouchy? Luke would’ve been tempted to ask, but he didn’t quite feel like getting thumped for his trouble so he just busied himself with picking up his guitar.

“One, two, three, four!”

The room burst into life. There was nothing like performing, Luke thought, as the adrenaline took over. It coursed through his veins like electricity. He threw himself into it with everything he had, belting out the words to one of their old favourite songs like it was the last thing he’d ever do, determined to show Julie what she was missing out on. Alex and Reggie seemed to share the same burning energy, shredding on the drums and bass as though their lives depended on it. It was the best they’d played in a long time, maybe because it was the first time since Bobby left that they actually had a goal.

The song ended and they were all left panting, smiling from ear to ear as they looked at one another and then to Julie. She stared at them, then began to clap slowly. 

“Okay… so that was great,” she said. Luke beamed with pride. “But I really do have homework, so I’m just gonna…”

She made to leave and panic flooded in. He hurried forward, grabbing her by the hand and stopping her in her tracks. Her fingers were soft gentle in between his own. He swallowed.

“Wait,” he said. “Just wait. Hear us out. We really do have something to ask you.”

She looked from their hands to his face to the guys and back again. He let go slowly, missing the warmth of it at once. 

“Alright,” she sighed. “Go ahead.”

“Okay, okay, great,” he stepped back towards the guys and gestured at them. “So after hearing you sing the other day and, y’know, having our _minds blown_ and all, we’ve been talking about it and–

“We want you–” Reggie said with him. 

Alex jumped in with a dramatic drum roll. 

“To join Sunset Curve!”

They all threw up their hands, grinning at her. Julie stared at them, mouth open in surprise, then shook herself.

“Oh,” she said.

“Oh?” He didn’t understand why she didn’t look excited. It wasn’t every day that you got asked to join the greatest rock band in the world. This kind of thing deserved more than an _“Oh.”_

“It’s a really nice offer, you guys,” she shifted awkwardly in place. “But I’ve kinda got a lot going on right now and I’m not really…”

“But we’re _Sunset Curve,”_ Luke emphasised, dejectedly. “We’re awesome.”

Julie rolled her eyes and pushed her way out the door. Luke slung off his guitar and jogged after her, leaving Alex and Reggie behind to share a look of exasperation. He caught up to her outside, taking her by the shoulder and twirling her around to face him.

“Why don’t you want to join our band?”

“Look,” she huffed, knocking his hand from her shoulder in annoyance. “I told you guys I don’t play anymore. Yesterday was a one-off. I can’t do it.” 

“But you _can_ though,” he insisted, trailing after her as she walked on. “I _saw_ you. You’ve got power, Julie. So much of it. I could feel it. I know you can feel it too. You don't play like that if you don’t care about music.”

He took both of her hands this time, holding onto them like they were his lifeline.

“That kind of talent is the kind that comes from your soul. It’s so obvious that music is a part of you. You can’t waste that. _Please_ don’t waste it. We need you.”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, looking at him in amazement. He had not noticed before, but her dark eyes were all-consuming. His throat went dry. 

“I’m sorry,” she said again, dropping his gaze and pulling away from her touch. “I just– I’m sorry.”

She disappeared into the house, leaving him standing there feeling as though the world had just tilted on its axis.

**Julie**

Stupid boys and their stupid big eyes and their stupid floppy hair and their stupid perfect smiles. Julie fumed as she headed up the porch, her thoughts a jumbled and disjointed mess.

“Hey, honey,” her dad greeted her as she slipped in the door. “How was your day?”

He looked around from his workspace with a small wave. Thank God for him, she thought, for being the only not-stupid boy in her life. Shaking off all bewildering thoughts about Luke Patterson’s stupid face, she plastered on a tired smile.

“Ugh, long,” she said, dumping her back and walking over to give him a tight squeeze from behind. “How was yours?”

“Pretty good, Carlos got on the baseball team.”

“That’s awesome,” she smiled. 

They were going to have so many broken windows when he started practising. 

“Yeah, he’s pretty psyched…’ he swivelled around in his chair to look at her. “I was worried he’d find it hard to adjust, what with the move and the guys using the garage and all, but he’s thriving.”

“Mhm,” Julie agreed.

“I wanted to ask, though… how are you doing with it all? Are you getting along with the guys okay? I know it’s a bit weird having them here since they go to your school. I just want to make sure you’re still comfortable with it.”

“It’s fine dad,” she sighed. “They’re fine.”

“Really?” he asked with a concerned frown on his face. “Because you don’t seem all that enthusiastic about them being around. I can get them to leave if you want me to.”

“They’re fine,” she repeated. “They’re just loud is all. I’ll get used to it.”

“Hm… okay. If you say some. Let me know if that changes though, alright?”

“Sure thing, dad.”

He smiled gratefully at her before turning his attention back to the computer in front of him. Julie trooped upstairs and collapsed onto her bed with a long sigh. What had they been thinking of, asking her to join their band like that? She barely knew them. And they were seniors. Why did they even want her? There were a ton of girls that could sing at their school, girls who wanted the spotlight, girls like Carrie.

Why _her?_

Her inner musings were interrupted by the sound of the garage door opening and two voices floating out. Peering through her window she could see Reggie and Alex strolling down the yard arguing animatedly about pizza toppings. Luke wasn’t with them. A couple of moments later, the sound of quiet strumming filled the night and she realised why. If she craned her neck she could just about see him through the studio window. He was sprawled out on the couch, a pen between his teeth and a deteriorating notebook open on his lap. Every couple of seconds he stopped playing, picked up the book and scribbled something.

_“In times that I doubted myself, felt like I needed some help, stuck in my head… with nothing left…”_

She let herself slide down until she was sitting with her back to the wall just listening to Luke murmur to himself. He had such a pleasant voice, warm like honey, soothing. 

_“...Life is a risk, but I will take it. Close my eyes and jump. Together, I think that we can make it, c’mon let’s run…”_

There were a lot of things her mom had taught her in life; how to read music, how to feel its rhythm working through your soul, how to love. Without her, it had all seemed pointless. What was music if not a means to connect the two of them together? How was she meant to go on playing, writing, _living_ without her mom?

But there was something about the way Luke held his guitar as though he was a man drowning in the ocean and the six-string was his life preserver. He talked about music in the same way her mom used to. It meant everything to him – the one thing that kept him grounded. That kept him sane. She missed that feeling. 

_Crap,_ she thought as she struggled to her feet. She knew what she needed to do.

When she opened the garage door he paused his writing and looked up at her in surprise.

“Sorry, am I being too loud?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I just…”

The beating heart of a chorus, drumming pulse… a life worth living. Worth remembering. Keeping the music alive – it was what her mom would’ve wanted.

“Okay,” she said, pushing her nerves to the side. “I’ll do it. I’ll join the band.”

Luke’s answering smile rivalled the shine of the sun. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> God help me I will finish this fic.


End file.
